Learning to Count – A Breast Pad Scavenger Hunt

03/12/2014 R.C. Liley 5 Comments

She may not be able to walk, talk, crawl, or write yet, but it’s never too early to start the learning process! Being a stay-at-home parent at this stage, I can only do so much with Avery. We go on walks, runs, I read and show her pictures, but she still needs her motor and speech skills to develop. Despite this minor obstacle, I take every opportunity I can to teach new things to Avery.

While putting inserts in her cloth diapers, I’ll tell her the color of the diaper I’m currently stuffing. If we have more than one of the same color, I’ll tell her it’s 1 of 3 or however many we have. Same for when changing, I tell her the color of her new diaper and try to relate it to a season, holiday, or certain feeling. For example, bright yellow is reminiscent of Spring, a popular color for Easter, and symbolizes happiness.

Helping daddy put together cloth diapers

If she grabs the hair on my right arm, I let her know that’s my right arm. When she sneezes 3 times in a row, I tell her that was 3 sneezes. If she starts crying, I’ll count the time until she stops. “That’s 2 hours you’ve been crying while I sat here!” Okay, that last one is a joke, I would never do that!

So, after her morning nap the other day, I had a load of laundry to do and started gathering everything to wash. As I scavenged around the house for any last minute items, I kept finding breast pads scattered around, so I figured I could make learning game out of it!

I explained to Avery that we needed to go around the house and count how many of mommy’s breast pads we can find. She just gave me a “What the crap are you talking about, dad?” pity smile, and we started our breast pad scavenger hunt.

We began in our bedroom and found 2 there…

Then we headed to the living room and found 2 more. No, wait, there’s another one stuck in the couch. Good job Avery! That’s 3 in the living room and 5 total so far.

Maybe the animals know where some are hiding. Hi Abby and Lou, do you know where Kelley left any breast pads lying around?

Guess not, on we go. The guest room had plenty of cloth diaper inserts, but no breast pads.

The last places to look were the kitchen and Avery’s nursery. There was one in the kitchen, and, oh, look, 3 more in the nursery!

So, today we counted 8 breast pads across our house.

She may not fully understand, but things like this really do help to build her brain. Sure, it’s funny (to me at least), but I also feel good knowing it’s helping to expand our little girl’s knowledge.

Plus, I think she looks smarter as a result. What do you think?

Do you have any “fun” games you like to play or did play with your babies?

How do you feel about trying to teach a baby things at an early age? Beneficial or not worth it?

Parenting

Hanging With My Daughter in the Dad Cave

03/11/2014 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

For a Monday, Avery and I had a pretty good day. She wasn’t perfect (show me a baby that is!), but her afternoon fussiness was nothing new. I expect Mondays to be difficult for all of us because Going Mom has to go back to work and misses her after spending 2 days at home. It’s never a fun transition. Plus, Avery and I miss Going Mom and I know Avery doesn’t like going back to taking the bottle after 2 days of boob!

But, alas, we forge through it and look forward to the weekend ahead. Avery graced us with another long night in her crib and easily fell back asleep in our bed after feeding. I always fear she’ll just be restless and I’ll have to go to the recliner. And by fear, I mean kinda enjoy it since I know I can’t always hold her like that. Bittersweet.

Another positive for Monday was the improved weather! Sun shining, light wind, and warmth equals a great day to get out and move! So, after her lengthy morning nap, we took off for a stroller run around the neighborhood with Abby (our Golden) in tow.

I’m not sure how so many new parents gain weight when a sleeping baby is so cherished. Just take your baby out for a walk in a baby carrier like the Onya or Ergo or in a jogging stroller and start moving. If they fall asleep, you won’t want to stop for fear of them waking. It’s good for you (moving = exercise and being healthy), and good for them (more sleep = less fuss)!

Although babies are young and may not understand everything, it’s never too early to lead by example and show your child how to live a healthy, active life. I WILL NOT be a dad that just sits in front of the T.V. chewing on his shirt and waiting for someone to fix him a meal. Not that I know anyone like that…..

On the run, Avery never made a peep until around 6 miles, and phew, I was happy to call it quits at that point! Abby was exhausted and ready for water too! She just turned 7 and still acts like a tiny, energetic puppy. Good for her health, tiring for us!

Run is done and we're happy. — Run is done and we’re happy.

After the run, Avery was in a good mood so I decided we’d hang out in my Dad Cave (i.e. the garage) to enjoy the nice weather. Most people think media rooms and sound systems when a Dad/Man Cave is mentioned,but I prefer being active, so none of that for me.

I use my power rack for strength training while Avery is taking her morning nap and enjoy the challenge of lifting heavy. I’ve had pictures of a Ferrari and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles framed just sitting in the garage, so with the nice weather, Avery hung out with me while I hung them both.

Like most guys, I have my fancy exotic car obsession, and Ferrari is my top choice, but I’ll always be devoted to Subaru. Plus, the STi isn’t too shabby. I had one years ago, was stupid, and now I don’t….*sigh*

Anyway, I’m more excited about the Ninja Turtle picture. Can’t you tell?

Since Avery was still happy and wanted to “hang” out some more, we did just that. Yep, I made a corny use of words and I’m not ashamed. Just wait, one day I’ll share some good puns with you, they’re great!

After messing around long enough, Avery grew tired, hungry, fussy, and annoyed with me hanging on pull up bars. So, we headed inside for a food and nap time.

Going Mom made it home right as Avery woke up and was excited to see her little girl well rested and happy. It makes me happy when I can get Avery to be rested like this so she’s ready for Kelley and not worked up from being too tired.

We enjoyed the rest of our night and Avery went to sleep easily. Another Monday survived!

Dads out there, do you have a Man/Dad Cave?

Moms, do you have something for yourselves?

Going Healthy

Going Healthy: Navitas Naturals Easy Banana Chia Pudding

03/10/2014 R.C. Liley 1 Comment

Self control and dessert are typically words you don’t see used together. Unless, “no” is in front of self control, then maybe. I am able to resist the tastiest looking treats since I know most of them are loaded with sugar, fat, and most likely numerous chemicals to get the best “taste.” Simply put, I like knowing exactly what’s in my food and do best when I make it myself.

Navitas Naturals kindly agreed to send me their Chia Seeds and Cacao Goji Superfood Power Snacks to review, and I’m enjoying them both! I’ll be posting a review along with a giveaway the nice people at Navitas Naturals agreed to, so please be on the lookout for my review!

As a new dad and stay-at-home parent, I don’t always have time to cook something when Avery is demanding my attention. I’m not one to settle for convenience food, so most of the time, I resort to the microwave to steam veggies and cook egg whites. Add some cayenne, black pepper, and mustard, and this is my meal most days. Luckily, I tend to enjoy all vegetables in their plain state, but it would be nice to have something packed with flavor too.

Thankfully, I was able to come up with a quick and healthy chia treat that’s perfectly fine to have “no” self control!

All you need to make this easy dessert that could double as a healthy, energy-packed breakfast is a ripe banana, milk of choice, Navitas Naturals Chia Seeds, vanilla protein powder, and vanilla extract.

Protein Banana Chia Pudding

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas (I like them very spotty!)
½ cup milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond milk)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use a stevia sweetened whey protein)
2 tablespoons Navitas Naturals Chia Seeds
Splash of pure vanilla extract (You can use vanilla vodka if you don’t have extract….or just like alcohol)
Optional: preferred sweetener like honey or agave to taste

Directions:

Using a food processor or blender (I used my Vitamix), add all ingredients except the chia seeds and blend until smooth. Add your optional sweetener too if desired.
Toss in the chia seeds and pulse just enough to thoroughly mix them in.
Pour into an airtight container and let chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

If you must, go ahead a take an early sample, I did, and it was great. Just know that the chia seeds need time to gel, so they will still be crunchy. This is a fun recipe to make with kids to amaze them at how the tiny chia seeds make liquid turn into gel.

When it’s warmer, make a quick, refreshing drink by adding a spoonful of chia to water with a splash of apple or orange juice and wait 5 to 10 minutes to have a fun, gooey drink! Hey, and it’s packed with omega-3’s, fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and so much more!

I told Avery about all of the benefits and she even wanted to try some for herself.